Beer-cooler



(No M0061. 2 Shet0 -Shee;t 2.

v. WILHELMI.

BEER COOLER.

I No. 202,971. Y Patented Feb. 5, 1884.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR ATTQRN'EY s.

N. PETERS. Phwmhogmphar. wmimm 0.6.

i 'UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VALEN'JTIN XVILHELMI, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

BEER-COOLER.

SPEOI FIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 292,971, dated February 5, 1884. Application filed October 13, 1883. (Numeric-.1.)

1"0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VALENTIN Win-Imam, of Paterson, Passaic county, State of New J ersey, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Beer-Coolers, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to furnish for breweries an improved beer-cooler of that class in which the beer circulates in a system of pipes around the cooling-pipes and in a direction opposite to the current of the coolingliquid; and the invention consists of a coldwater tank in which is arranged a system of circulating-pipes for the ice-water or other cooling-liquid, which are connected at their lower end to a circulatingpump of suitable construction. The cooling-pipes are surrounded by exterior pipes of larger diameter, which are closed at the ends and connected with each other at the ends, the beer entering at the highest point and leaving the system of exterior pipes at the lowest point. Oscillating agitators keep the water in the tank in motion, while the surface of the water is agitated and cooled by air-currents supplied by an air-fan and thrown by a perforated pipe extending along the side of the tank on the surface of the cooling-water.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side view, Fig. 2 a plan, Fig. 3 a Vertical longitudinal section on line mm Fig. 4, Fig 4 a vertical transverse section on line 11 y, Fig. 3, of my improved beer-cooler; and

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical longitudinal section of the coupling by which the interior coolingpipes are connected to their semicircular end sectionsand to the exterior pipes.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts.

A in the drawings represents a water-tank of suitable size and material, which is kept filled with cold well-water, ice-water, chilled brine, or any other refrigerating-1iquid. At the interior of the tank is arranged a system of circulating-pipes, B, for the cooling medium, which pipes are arranged in horizontal tiers, and connected with each other at alternating ends by semicircular pipe-sections B, that are tightly attached by suitable couplings to the pipes B B. The lowermost tier of cooling'pipes B is connected at its end with a circulating-pump, O, the piston of which is actuated by a crank-shaft, E, supported in bearings of Vertical standards E at one end of the tank A. a This crankshaft E receives motion by a belt-and-pulley transmission from a suitable powershaft. The circulating'pump C may be of; any suitable construction, and serves to take up the water close to the bottom of the tank where it is coolest and to forceit through the system of cooling-pipes B. An air-chamber, O, is located 011 the pipe that connects the pump with the lower tier of cooling-pipes, so as to keep up a uniform supply of cooling-water through the pipes without shocks or intermission. The water. is conducted from the uppermost tier of pipes to the outside in a suitable manner. Each individual cooling-pipe B is inclosed by an exterior, pipe, D, of larger diameter, which is secured by couplings D to the ends of each cooling-pipe, as shown clearly in Figs. 4. and 5. These couplings are constructed of an exteriorly-threaded thimble, d, that is fastened on the ends of the cooling-pipe B, and of an exterior screwnut, a, that turns thereon, and

is screwed up against a flanged exterior collar,

(2, of the exterior pipe D and an intermediate packing-ring. sections B of the cooling-pipes B B are provided with exterior flanged thimbles, e,"that are screwed tight against packing-rings interposed between the thimbles d d by flanged screw-nuts e, that take into the exterior threads of the thimbles d, as shown in Fig. 5.

In place of the construction shown, any other approved construction by which the tight con nection between the interior pipes, B, and the exterior pipes, D, and connecting-sections B can be secured, .and by which at the same time the pipes can be readily detached from each other, so as to admit the cleaning "of the same from time to time, as required. The exterior pipes, D, are connected near their ends by lateral pipe-connection I), while the higher tiers of exterior pipes are connected with the lower tiers by vertical pipe-connections D. The beer to be cooled is conducted into the annular space between the cooling-pipes and the exterior pipes by a conduit-pipe, F, which is connected to one end of the uppermost tier of exterior pipes, D, from which the beer is distributed to all the pipes of the uppermost tiers, then passed into the tiers below, and, finally,

The semicircular connectingby a conducting-pipe, F, through the casing A into a receiver or reservoir. The hot beer to be cooled passes thus in a direction opposite to that of the cooling-water in. the pipes 13, and is thereby cooled quicker and more effectually.

To keep the water in the tank A at a uniform temperature throughout and prevent its getting warmer near the surface than at the bottom of the tank, an agitator, G, is arranged at the middle part of the tank and supported inbearings of the side walls of the same. The stirrer-arms of the agitator extend downwardly between the pipes into the tank, and are provided at their lower ends with enlarged blades. An upwardly-extendin g crank-arm G, secured to the transverse shaft of the agitator G, is con nected by a pivot-rod, G, to the crank of the crank-shaft E, by which oscillating motion is imparted to the stirrer-arms, and thereby the cooling-water kept in motion. The surfacecooling of the water in the tank is obtained by means of a perfo *ated pi pe, H, that is extended along one side wall of the tank and connected with a blower, H, that is revolved at high speed by a belt-and-pulley transmission from the crank-shaft E. The airis ejected through the perforations of the pipe H in such a manner as to impinge on the surface of the coolingwater in the tank, whereby the surface-water is kept in motion and the temperature of the same reduced by the agitation and evaporation of the same.

I am aware that beer-coolers based on the principle of counter currents,in which thebeer is conducted through the exterior pipes in opposite direction to that of the liquid in the cooling-pipes are well known, and have been patented heretofore. These beer coolers,however, take up a great deal of space in a brewery, extending frequently through several stories, and are very expensive in construction. By my improved construction the cooling action of the water is more effectively utilized, while the size of the cooler is reduced to a comparatively small space, so that it can be located at any convenient space in the brewery without requiring to pass through one or more stories, as the beer-coolers now in use.

I am aware that beercoolers inwhich the'beer or other fermented liquor is. passed through a continuous pipe, which is inclosed by an exterior pipe, through which a heating or cooling medium is conducted, have been used heretofore, and I lay, therefore, no claim to this feature, broadly. In my beer-cooler the cooling medium is forced through the continuous pipe by a circulating-pump, and the beer conducted through exterior pipes which inclose the continuous pipe, and are submerged in the waterof a tank, within which the entire cooler is arranged, so that the beer, in its passage through the exterior pipes, is also cooled from the outside by the water in the tank, whereby the cooling action is accelerated and the cooling property of the water or other medium utilized to a higher degree.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination of a Watertank, a continuous cooling-pipe, a circulating-pump located in the tank and connected to one end of said cooling-pipe, exterior inclosing-pipes submerged in the water-tank, and supply and discharge pipes to conduct the fermented liquor to and from the exterior pipes, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a water-tank, coolingpipes connected by semicircular end sections, a circulating-pum p connected to said coolingpipes, exterior pipes inclosing the coolingpipes, and an oscillating agitator, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of a water-tank, coolingpipes connected by semicircular end pipes, a circulating-pump connected to "said coolingpipes, exterior pipes inclosing the coolingpipes, a perforated air-distributing pipe extending along the side wall of the tank, and an air-forcing apparatus connected to said airpipe, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing asmy invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' VALENTIN IVILHELMI.

\Vitnesses I PAUL GOEPEL, v SIDNEY MANN. 

